Saturday, January 17, 2004

I'll let you into a secret, this modern world makes me feel uneasy in my skin. The packaging I ship with isn't really good enough in this 'nip and tuck' day and age. I've started to think that some surgery might be a good thing, for me: LASIK (although hazy if this counts); cosmetic dental surgery; liposuction; and finally I'd like something done about my heavy jaw line - and for the animator? Well some derma-abrasion probably wouldn't go amiss.
It worries me that suddenly I've started, no matter how light-heartedly, to buy into this culture of remodelling. I'd been thinking about posting on this topic for a while when along came a really thoughtful summation from Joanna Briscoe in The Guardian. However, I think she misses one extra layer of cultural cloning: The digital sexualization of women. And just for those of you who aren't familiar with what Photoshop can do for you, here's one chap's portfolio of 'improvements' (via Rebecca's Pocket archives).
Finally, and this is pretty close to home, the seemingly unstoppable rise of the realistic 3D model - see also this article - really has worrying implications for all of us real-life, old-school realistic 3D models. It doesn't take a PhD in gender studies to work out how these digital beauties might earn their keep. If the cover of Feb 2004's 3D World, didn't give it away, the pics used inside sure did. It won't be long before these ladies will be appearing in porn, mark my words, where Japanese anime leads (check out the post on 'Customers I have driven out of the store' - thanks Belle) digital models can only follow. 3D animators - and include the animator in this too - are modern-day Pygmalions. The only answer, and I know it's an inadequate one, is for more women to get into 3D. I sense a thesis coming on...